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Nasa finds (could have found) evidence of 'life on Mars': Curiosity rover picks up methane 'burps' that could be coming from alien organisms
Dec. 16, 2014
Andrew Griffin
Mars Curiosity rover picks up 'burps' of methane — which could be evidence of life on the planet
"Evidence of life on Mars could have been found by Nasa's Curiosity Rover.
Mysterious spikes of methane that cannot easily be explained by geology or other theories have been found by one of the instruments on the robot, which landed on the planet in 2012. Scientists can’t be sure what is causing the spikes, but it is possible that it could be very small, bacteria-like living organisms.
If the gas is coming from living, breathing microbes then it would mark one of the biggest discoveries in history. On Earth, 95% of methane comes from microbial organisms.
Scientists have said that the rover now has to test and re-test the possibility of life, ahead of a manned mission in 2020 that would look for the source of the methane."
"Previous satellite observations have detected unusual plumes of methane on the planet, but none as extraordinary as the sudden "venting" measured at Gale Crater, where evidence suggests water once flowed billions of years ago.
The laboratory onboard the rover has been sniffing methane in the atmosphere a dozen times in the last 12 months. In late 2013 and early 2014, the amount of methane flared up, and then receded.
Other possible explanations include the Sun's rays degrading organic material that was left behind by meteors, Nasa scientists said at the press conference announcing the news. But that explanation still relies on the original material being deposited, they said."
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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/nasa-finds-evidence-of-life-on-mars-9929510.html